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Italian voters reject judicial reform in a setback for PM Giorgia Meloni

Italian voters on Monday rejected a judicial reform backed by conservative Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, delivering a stinging setback to the right-wing government one year…

By Samantha Johnson / March 23, 2026

Italian voters on Monday rejected a judicial reform backed by conservative Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, delivering a stinging setback to the right-wing government one year ahead of national elections.

“Italian voters have decided and we respect their decision,” Meloni said in a video posted on Instagram. She pledged to complete her mandate, which runs into 2027.

The “No” camp won around 54 per cent of the vote against the government-backed “Yes” campaign, which secured about 46 per cent, according to 94 per cent of the results released by the Interior Ministry.

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Turnout over the two-day ballot, which began on Sunday, was considerably higher than expected at almost 59 per cent following a polarising campaign.

It energised the centre-left opposition, which framed the reform as a threat to judicial independence, while simultaneously exposing divisions within Meloni’s right-wing coalition.

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The proposed judicial reform had been billed by Meloni’s coalition as a key step towards streamlining Italy’s judicial system – long criticised as slow, bureaucratic and vulnerable to political influence.

But critics argued that the measures risked concentrating too much power in the executive branch. Opposition parties, civil society groups and legal associations mounted a unified front, warning that the reform could undermine institutional checks and balances.

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